


Homicide Love

by angelwriter



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Boat Sex, Bottom Will Graham, Dark Will Graham, Domestic, Domestic Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, Erotica, Falling In Love, Hannibal Lecter Loves Will Graham, Intimacy, Living Together, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Making Love, Murder, Murder Husbands, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter, Romantic Soulmates, Sexual Tension, Shower Sex, Top Hannibal Lecter, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-19
Updated: 2020-09-18
Packaged: 2021-02-13 01:17:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21485956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angelwriter/pseuds/angelwriter
Summary: Will swallowed hard, fearing what was coming. He begged himself not to say it out loud.Bedelia's words echoed in his mind.But do you ache for him?Will closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. "She...she said that you're in love with me."
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 13
Kudos: 354





	1. 1: Live & Die By Your Knife

"I am not fortune's fool. I am your fool." 

\- Hannibal S3 E11 

[ Title from Homicide Love - James Arthur ] 

The waves raced like a stallion towards the shore. It hit with a crash, spilling foam and droplets up in the air. The sand could do nothing but surrender to the push and pull of the sea. It's violent. The seas overcome your own strength and you can do nothing about it. Sometimes we wish we could drown ourselves in the depths and maybe it changes that violence then. When we want to drown maybe it was no longer us surrendering, but joining it, moving with it. We allow ourselves to be evolved in the darkness and we sink into it. Maybe then it no longer consumes us.

We consume it. 

He woke up from his thoughts and was reminded of where he was. A few minutes had passed since Hannibal had gotten into a police car and said, "Going my way?" 

Where else was he supposed to go? 

He let Hannibal drive him towards his old home up on the mountain top, a getaway place, a safe house. It overlooked the endless sea surrounded by a dense forest filled with pine trees. Will stepped inside the house and was greeted by the strong scent of the Cannibal. His decor was the same - elegant and beautiful. His shoulders relaxed at the fact that all of this was coming to an end. He had broken Hannibal out of prison...well they both escaped together. They worked together. They were an unlikely team. They always had been. Hannibal and Will were conjoined, Will had admitted that much. It was the truth he had so desperately tried to deny. 

He and Hanniabal were the same and Will had tried to dispute the fact, tried to fight for a different side. It seemed there was only one side. A side that he hated and the side that he loved equally. Hannibal was both someone he had grown to hate and someone with whom he had eternal love for. He had known Hannibal was in love with him and for him to accept that meant that he had to accept his own love for him. Now they were here together again. Alone. Two steps into the bottomless pit of hell and yet they were still alive. They would make it out of this no doubt about it.

They were stronger as one. 

The sun was slowly setting, the glass walls reflecting the warm rays. It seemed almost peaceful despite the violence that had occurred in the years they had been together. Ever since Hannibal entered his life he had been changed. He was cut open with a knife, gutted with his organs spilling out, weak and vulnerable with Dr Lecter being the only one who could sow him up. Hannibal had told Will he needed to transform, to change, to be himself. 

This was it. 

The last metamorphosis. 

They had to wait for the sun to go down. The Beast would be here then. There was no panic he realised as they sat down to a quick meal. Hannibal whipped up something which by Hannibal's expert taste still looked like it would be eaten by the most prestigious food critics or locked in a glass safe to be exhibited in an art gallery. They ate silently, the familiar air between them filling the quiet space. They were used to this routine, could almost say it was normal. 

After they had eaten (Will didn't even bother asking what the hell he had consumed or how old it was considering Hannibal had been locked up in a mental asylum for three years. Will knew Hannibal wouldn't poison him), Will decided he wanted a shower and to change out of his dirty clothes. Hannibal agreed that they needed to be fresh for their encounter with the Red Dragon. He gave Will a towel and some of his clothes left in the closet. Will entered the bathroom and placed Hannibal's shirt and trousers on the toilet seat. He didn't need to change his pants did he? He looked at the blood stains that had splattered on them and sighed. Great, now he was even wearing his clothes. How much more alike could they get? 

The steam misted the room as hot water soothed the tension in his back. He soaked his hair and wet his body before getting a bar of soap and cloth. To his amazement there was nothing there. Just as he was about to shout for Hannibal there was a knock at the door. 

"Will? May I come in? I forgot to give you the soap and a cloth. Also I have a spare tooth brush and tooth paste." 

"Thanks! Sure, come in," Will called to him. 

The door opened and he froze in shock. The shower walls were all made of glass. See-through glass. Fuck. His bare ass was on show for Hannibal. He could practically see Hannibal's smirk that he made when he was amused. He heard Hannibal put the things down with the clothes on the toilet seat, but he didn't hear the door shut open and close again. He was still here...staring at him. His back muscles strained under embarrassment and he could feel the heat rising in the room that he was sure had nothing to do the hot water steam. 

"Will?" Hannibal's tone was interesting. It was bordering on suggestion and tease. 

Will made his voice steady and edged it to seem annoyed. He tried not to let his thoughts get the better of him. His feelings as well. Fuck, Hannibal was in love with him. He knew Hannibal had wanted him since the beginning and since their first meeting they had always been incorexably entwined. They had a platonic sort of friendship, then it boarded on obsession and mania until finally there was no separating the two of them. They were inexplicably drawn to each other no matter where their paths took them. 

"Dr Lecter?" he answered. 

"You know Will, I appreciate you doing this with me. For all you have done actually. You left with such a striking goodbye, I had thought that was the end of it."

"You knew it wasn't," he whispered, the reality of it sinking into his bones. 

"Yes. Can you blame me? We always find our way to each other. As I said before we are family. I had hoped you would. I know you wanted to stop the Red Dragon and I knew you would need my help. You and I are never finished and I am glad you understand that now." 

There was a moment of pause before Will said, "I went to see Bedelia." 

"You did? How is she?" 

"She's good. Better. Still can't seem to stop caring about you though no matter what you put her through." 

"You two have that in common." 

"Yes, we do." This was the part where Will would dry chuckle to play it off, make it harsh, show that he was angry at how Hannibal treated him. But he couldn't fight it. Not anymore. "She said that she understands you and she tries to justify your actions." 

"Of course. She knows me well. As do you. Both of you are the most important people to me. Is there anything else she said?" 

Will swallowed hard, fearing what was coming. He begged himself not to say it out loud. 

Bedelia's words echoed in his mind. 

But do you ache for him? 

Will closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. "She...she said that you're in love with me." 

All he heard was the slow beat of the water running over his skin for what felt like an eternity. No one moved. He couldn't hear Hannibal at all. It was like he wasn't even there. A fleeting feeling struck him a mild panic that something was wrong with Hannibal and that was why he wasn't answering. He quickly spun around and immediately regretted it. First of all his naked body was on display, second of all Hannibal was looking at him like he was hungry and he had been starving for centuries. 

His eyes were dark, his teeth protruding behind his tasteful smile. Heat rolled off him in waves that nearly knocked Will off his feet from the electrifying impact. He stood extremely still and held his breath as Hannibal's eyes raked down his body. He never felt so self conscious before. Hannibal watched him with a deep desire that flooded a whole lot of blood to his face and other places he wished it wouldn't. He didn't need to encourage him on the matter. Once Hannibal had finished eye-fucking him, he returned to meet his gaze. 

"And how do you feel, Will?" 

"I...I don't feel anything." 

Hannibal moved his head to the side like he always did when he heard something interesting. "Don't you? Your body would say otherwise." 

Will glanced down at his half hard cock and swore under his breath. "It's a physiological reaction. Surely you know that." 

"I do. Blood flows to the penis when met with extreme cold, or certain embarrassing thoughts even, a shift in hormones, and when aroused." Hannibal licked his lips and Will swore it was on purpose. "Which one are you, Will?" 

Will groaned now in complete annoyance at himself. He sighed, defeated. "You know which one. I think we should stop playing games of cat and mouse, Hannibal. Why don't we just stop the pretending and give in?" 

"Give in to what?" There was a glint in his eyes that knew exactly what they were talking about but he wanted Will to say it out loud. 

Will bored intensely into his eyes, feeling a sense of confidence rush through him. "You want me. I want you. So why don't you just take it." 

"Do you want me to take you, Will?" His voice was animalistic and heavy with lust that weighed on his tongue. So many years he had denyed himself of Will. Now he finally had him. 

"Yes," Will finally agreed.


	2. 2: Sucker For A Sweet Talker

The long awaited and anticipated Chapter 2 of Homicide Love 

It will pick up right after Chapter 1 

_____________

"Do you want me to take you, Will?" His voice was animalistic and heavy with lust that weighed on his tongue. So many years he had denyed himself of Will. Now he finally had him. 

"Yes," Will finally agreed. 

Hannibal unbuttoned his shirt slowly and folded it neatly next to the other clothes. Will couldn't take his eyes off Hannibal's body shape, the angles and sharp edges like carved marble. He looked like he belonged with the ornaments and decor in his house. He was almost painfully beautiful this man that had so much darkness and horror to him, the man that had tormented him for so long. How could someone that had torn everything that he loved away from him in order for him to be only his look like he did? Hannibal had risked pulling off his facade of his person-suit for Will. He was truly the devil disguised as an angel. Truth be told Will was the only one to see through all the masks and hypocrisy. He could honestly say he understood Hannibal. Will didn't fear it like he did before. In fact he had accepted it. 

He breathed in sharply as he took in the beauty of the half naked man and realised that this was really happening. The shower water did nothing to stop the shiver that crawled over his skin and the hot and cold feeling of anticipation racing through his veins. He felt like screaming and sighing in bliss as he saw Hannibal strip before him. He took everything off and stepped into the shower with him. Hannibal towered over him, he stared down at him with an intense look. There was something that looked like relief in his eyes as he gently cupped Will's face in his hands. Will's breath caught in his throat. 

"My Will," he murmered before he leaned in and pressed their lips together. 

The first softest pressure of Hannibal's lips against his had his knees buckling that he feared tumbling over. He gripped Hannibal's forearms and pulled him closer as their lips slid together effortlessly. Water ran down the ridges of their noses mixing into their kiss. Hannibal moved his long poetic fingers and threaded it through Will's curls. Will moaned softly at the feeling of the tender touch from the cannibal. He was always graceful even when he killed. This was his most vulnerable moment with his eyes closed and surrendering to the breaths that they shared and the intensity of their kiss. Hannibal responded to the sound of Will's moan with a sharp unexpected tug of his hair and pushed Will right up against his skin chest to chest. 

The hot contact of their bodies touching made Will gasp into the kiss and Hannibal took this opportunity to push his tongue into the smaller man's mouth. Both of them groaned this time as their tongues merged together, tasting and exploring. Will's nails bit crescents into Hannibal's skin and his hands glided along the slick expanse of his skin down to his abdomen when Will found a delightful display of hairs towards his navel and further down. Oh God, Will's brain shook with the reality of the fact that Hannibal was completely naked as if he didn't know that already, but fuck he could have him and see him and...feel him now. Oh God, fuck me, Will thought and it was not at all far from the truth. 

Hannibal was thick and red hot pressed up against his hip bone. It took everything in him not to faint with ecstacy. He had never felt such passion before. It was suffocating. Hannibal licked eagerly down Will's neck, biting and sucking. Marking. He was Hannibal's. He knew that all along. He threw his head back to allow him do as he pleased. Hannibal nipped hard at his pressure points, making Will moan loudly. He nipped at Will's collarbone and then teased a nipple between his fingers. 

"Fuck," Will gasped. 

"You know Will...I can make you feel so good. I know what you like. What you need." Hannibal pinched his nipple once again and Will grinded his teeth together at the pleasure-pain of it. "I will have you begging for me. I want that. I want you to ask me. Consent is extremely important for me." 

"Don't you know how I feel about you?" Will's voice was rough and hoarse. His eyes were wide and he looked perfectly wanton. 

Hannibal locked eyes with him. "I do. But I want you to tell me." He sank to his knees and began kissing down his torso. "Tell me what you want, Will. Where I can touch. How to touch you. I want you to tell me exactly what I can do to you."

Will groaned lowly and sank his teeth into his lip as Hannibal licked a stripe across his abdomen, close to his groin. Then Hannibal didn't move for several moments. 

"What are you-" Will remembered he had to tell him. This was not how he thought this would go. He wanted Hannibal to take control as he so often did. But now he was giving it to Will and that was somehow even more enticing. The thought of controlling the beast, have him wreck in the ways you so desperately craved. "I want you to suck me off with your mouth." 

He looked down at Hannibal who was smirking at him from below. "As you wish." 

Hannibal took him down quickly. Will didn't even get a chance to be worked up or have some kind of warming. Hannibal opened his mouth and took all of Will in. He was right up to his balls, the warm wetness of Hannibal's mouth making him dizzy. Hannibal gave a long suck, making Will's knees buckle that he had to brace himself against the walls of the shower. The man took him down like he had no gag reflex. 

"How the fuck are you doing this?" He breathed, body shuddering as Hannibal deep throated in a way that pulled all the life out of him. 

It was so bloody good. Will could barely handle it. The obscene slurps, the warmth spreading down his thighs, that intense look that Hannibal was giving him. Those beautiful eyes framed by lovely long lashes. He wasn't going to last long if he kept this up. 

"Hanni-" he bit down into his cheek. "Stop. I'm gonna-" 

"Going to what, Will? Come in my mouth? Fuck my throat raw? Let me please you until you are oversensitive and overstimulated from how many times I will drain you dry?" 

Will could do nothing but nod. God, he wanted to. He wanted to come as many times as he was physically allowed to and as much as he could take, even if he was in pain. He wanted to be gutted open like a fish, butterfly cut and sliced into strips for consumption. He wanted to be fed into Hannibal's mouth and have him swallow him up. His body burned where he was touched, metaphorically and literally by Hannibal. He wanted nothing less than this and nothing more than the scalding branding of himself searing into Hannibal that they become one flesh. 

"Please," he begged, pulling at Hannibal's hair. "I need you. I need you so bad." 

Will bit back a sob as all it took was one long suck and he was spilling all into Hannibal's mouth, his spend dripping down his chin. The look on Hannibal's face had him nearly winded. It was contentment and Will felt his stomach deepen with taut knots of desire. His eyes were closed and he wiped the remains of Will off him. His breathing was choppy as he got back onto his feet. Water droplets clung to his thick eyelashes then cascaded down his prominent collarbones that Will longed to bite.

He braced Will against the shower wall, picked up his thigh with little effort, and pressed every part of his body against his. Will was disorientated and still deeply aroused. He had come down from his high, his sweat washing away with the water. He could smell Hannibal on his skin and he knew Hannibal's sense of smell was heightened. He could only imagine what he must smell like. Hot and sticky. The scent of his spend in the air. Sex and tension thick like a gas around them. 

"You said I must take you," Hannibal panted against his throat that Will bared for him to lick and suck again. "...should I do that now? Merge our bodies as one? Become truly conjoined?" 

Will could only moan and nod. Hannibal gripped his arms above his head and pinned it there. "Tell me, Will. I want to hear you." 

"I want you to fuck me until I forget that I was ever a separate person from you."

That was all he needed. He slid quickly but gently into Will, the hot push into him had Will gasping, the burn biting into his skin and making his back tingle with pain. He clenched his jaw and swallowed hard. Hannibal sighed as if his body was saying, "finally." He stilled inside of Will for a moment. Will clenched and tried to relax around him. His chest was heaving heavily with his intake of breath. He could feel Hannibal hard and thick within him. Nothing had ever felt like this. Droplets of blood slid down his thighs and he groaned at the mere thought of Hannibal licking it. Was he fucked up? Well, it was too late for it to be sane between them. 

Hannibal loosened the grip on Will's arms and Will immediately held onto Hannibal's shoulders. His nail made large crescent marks over his shoulders and then down his back. Hannibal hissed. 

"Move," Will pleaded. "Hannibal, move!" 

Hannibal surged forward, his hips jutting into his body. They both moaned together. The slick sounds of their bodies joining as one was enough to make Will topple over. He threaded his hands through Hannibal's hair, twisting into the wet strands and gripped it tightly. Hannibal didn't stop his rentless pace. He was muttering things in languages Will couldn't understand and all of it was breathless and soaked in want. He fed off of Hannibal's emotions that swirled with his own. No one could be as close as them. They saw into each other's minds and now they were in each other's bodies. 

Hannibal came silently while biting Will's shoulder. His body shook with the effects as he spilled into Will. Will followed soon after with a cry that was strangled from being kept inside of himself for so long. Hannibal pulled Will's slumped body heavy with release close to his chest. He idly stroked Will's hair in a soothing manner that Will was almost afraid he'd fall asleep. Hannibal washed Will like this slowly, gliding along the planes of his muscles and soothing it with the cloth and sweet smelling soap. 

Will had never felt so at peace. 

***

Will stared in deep concentration outside at the liquid black sky, a single pale moon illuminated the equally dark sea. Both sea and sky looked the same and he couldn't tell them apart if it weren't for the moonlight distinguishing them. His mind cast to what had happened between himself and Hannibal just a few hours ago. He thought of the sea below them. He thought of drowning. He always thought of this and had been more frequently since meeting the Dr Lecter. He stuffed his hands into his pants pockets. It was a khaki colour. It was only when he put it on after the shower that he realised it was tailored to his body. Hannibal must have made it for him. How he knew they would end up here was still a mystery and right now he didn't actually care. 

Hannibal walked up behind him in a clean cut grey suit, soft melodies of classical music echoed through the house. The lights were on and it glowed amber like the flame of candles. 

"You're playing games with yourself in the dark of the moon."

Hannibal placed a new bottle of wine on the piano top and cleaned two glasses with a white cloth. Will turned to face him. 

"It wasn't surprising when I heard from the Great Red Dragon. Was it surprising that you heard from him?" 

"Yes and no," Will replied with an easy tone. 

He now knew this dance, knew the steps and was ready for it. He accepted his fate. 

"Do you intend to watch him kill me?" 

"I intend to watch him change you."

"My compassion for you is an inconvenience." 

"If you're partial to beef products, it would be inconvenient to be compassionate towards a cow." 

Hannibal smiled in amusement. He handed Will a glass and poured him some wine. 

"Save yourself, kill them all." 

Will stared deeply into Hannibal's eyes. Something passed between them. An understanding. A vibrant connection that hummed like static and they locked gazes. 

"I don't know if I can save myself. And maybe that's just fine." 

Hannibal walked away to pour himself a glass. He decided to answer Will with a quote. "No greater love hath a man than to lay down his life for a friend." 

"You're not my friend. You never were." 

"Yes, you made that clear when you were at the Asylum." 

"The Asylum you put me in, might I add." Will took a slow sip of the wine. 

"How did you phrase it? We're light years away from each other. Is that still true?" 

He dipped his head low. "No. But I do still believe we're not friends which means that if I am to lay down my life for you is it still an honour, noble even? What love is that where I allow you to get inside my skull and sink into my bones, breathe breath into my body, at the cost of myself? I'd die for you. Can you attest to that?" 

"I'd die for you, too, Will. You have already said that you know I'm in love with you in which ever form that may take. Despite what has transgressed between us and both of our faults and mistakes, you love me just as I love you." 

Will said nothing to that. What else was there to say? 

"He's watching us now." 

"I know." 

Hannibal was standing in front of the glass window when the gun went off and the bullet plunged into his skin. 

You know this story. The story of how two objects collide obliterating everything in their wake. A violent force and a violent love can only lead to madness and even more violent ends. They both knew the sacrifice. They were willing to make it, there was no way out. When you were stuck in the middle of the sea and there was no way for you to reach land, you wade quietly into the water and let it engulf you. 

As blood spilled over their bodies and the Red Dragon laid on the cold ground, a pair of dragon wings surrounding him, Will stared at the liquid that coated his entire hand. 

"You're right. It does look black in moonlight." 

Hannibal pulled Will into his arms and he rested his head on Hannibal's chest listening to his racing heart. 

"See?" Hannibal spoke in earnest. 

He repeated Garett Jacob Hobb's words, the last words said to Will after Will shot and killed him. His first murder. His awakening. 

"This is all I ever wanted for you, Will. For both of us." 

Will shut his eyes and gave in. "It's beautiful."


	3. 3: Aesthetic Heart

I honestly don't know how long this will be. I'm just writing as I go and when ideas come to me. Sorry in advance for long waiting periods between chapters. 

Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback! :) I love to read your comments. 

______ 

"I will not have you without the darkness that hides within you. I will not let you have me without the madness that makes me. If our demons cannot dance, neither can we." 

\- Nikita Gill 

______ 

The first thing Will heard when he regained consciousness was the crashing of the waves. It was a sort of a peaceful sound, soft and melodious. He recognised the splash of water hitting on rocks and remembered that he had pulled Hannibal with him as he fell. He did it on purpose. He knew it all had to end this way. To be born again you had to die, right? He thought he was dead and that he had killed Hannibal too. It would have been better that way then he didn't have to own up to it. Say it out loud. 

Admit that he loved it. Loved what he did with Hannibal - the killings, the blood and beautiful violence - and what Hannibal did to him. The way he touched him and gave him everything he needed. Physically and mentally. 

His senses came back and he felt wetness against his back and neck, it soaked into his thin shirt. There was sand between his toes and pieces of broken shells and granules in his hair. He could smell it now --- the ocean, the salt and this fishy note that he was used to smelling being a fishermen and all. He normally fished fresh water fish though. He tried to open his eyes. He stared up straight at the open blue sky, afternoon sunlight spilling in behind the cotton clear clouds. Jagged rocks leading up to Hannibal's house were behind him. He was resting at the shoreline and he was safe. He pulled himself up and searched for Hannibal. 

He waded into the water where Hannibal was wringing out his stained shirt full of blood. He was shirtless, the muscles on his back rippled as his hands worked. He saw the wound in Hannibal where he was shot. It looked cleaned and didn't look as bad as it did before. He came up next to him. Hannibal stopped what he was doing and turned to Will. He assessed him from his waistline where the water rose up to and all along his body up to his face. He took his shirt and placed it over the other shoulder, pulling Will close to him. He unbuttoned Will's shirt. He peeled it off of him and began to wash it the same way he did his. 

Neither of them said anything. 

Once Hannibal was done he gave Will his shirt back. It still had red hues on it and it had gone an odd sort of pink colour. He put his arms through but left the shirt undone. Hannibal furrowed his brows at that. Will stared into his eyes and leaned up onto his toes and kissed him. He could smell the pungent stench of seaweed and the moss that grew on the rocks. Water lapped around his body causing a cold shiver down his spine. It was only then that he felt the ice of the sea temperature, but he was suddenly warm as Hannibal circled him in his arms and held him steady against himself. He tipped Will's head up with a gentle touch to his chin with his other hand and he kissed him tenderly. It wasn't the sort of kiss he was used to receiving from Hannibal, at least not the kisses he had experienced last night with the hunger that they had in the shower. This was different. It held promise. Affection. 

Will kissed him eagerly and knitted his hands together behind Hannibal's neck. He could taste the salt on Hannibal's lips. His heart beat erratically and he vaguely wondered how they had survived the fall. They always would survive anything, wouldn't they? They had come so far, through the bloodshed of innocents, the broken hearts and shattered teacups. Nothing could break them apart. With this knowledge he surrendered under Hannibal's love and his own. His body flooded with this emancipation. The handcuffs were now unshackled. The choir began to sing and the door had finally opened letting it all in. 

He blinked away the droplets of water out of his eyes from the wave that broke against them. He admired the older man's face. Worn lines, stotic nature, impassive. He looked completely cut open under Will's touch. Will had done that to him. He was gutted and Will was feasting on him as Hannibal had done. They were inside each other tearing everything up. Hannibal had allowed Will in his mind palace and he had walked on the holy carpets, seen the clean walls inches thick and guarded with armour. He had breathed into the holes and dark corners of his inner most self. He had become welcomed there, almost as if he was meant to reside there. No one had got this close and no one ever would. 

Will smiled. "Where shall we go now?" 

"Anywhere you like. We have the entire world to discover." 

"While we're on the run from Jack and the FBI?" 

Hannibal chuckled. "You know as well as I do that they will never catch us. They won't get us, Will. I will keep us safe. You know that? Don't you?" 

Will nodded sincerely. "I have come to understand that yes. You will protect me as I will protect you. I can never leave you." 

"Is that a promise?" Hannibal met his eyes and there was a tinge of longing in his eyes for it to be true, but the acceptance that he knew that it could never be guaranteed. There were things even Hannibal couldn't control. 

"I want it to be," Will said. "There isn't anywhere else for me. I will stay with you wherever you go." 

"Then let us leave this all behind." 

He took Will's hand in his and guided them back to the shore. 

* 

Will fell asleep in the car, exhaustion tiring his muscles. The car heater was on keeping me warm and he had changed his clothes before he left. He wore one of Hannibal's jumpers made of wool. He loved the feel of the material against his skin, the way he caressed it and felt like a kiss. His mind brought him back to when Hannibal and himself killed The Red Dragon. The way they had stared at each other. The vibrant blood that covered their bodies and faces. That look in Hannibal's eyes that mirrored his own - of lust, desire and hunger. Will couldn't get that image of his head. His hand gleamed under the moonlight, stained and breathtaking. 

That was his true self. He felt surprised that he was so content. 

"Platonic. That's what I say when people ask. You and I are platonic. We care about each other as any two people can. I sometimes think that maybe it's a bit more considering what we have been through together. That's just the reality of it now. There is no me without you." 

Hannibal kept his eyes on the road as Will spoke. "You believe that I have broken you. Broken you with all the ways I have cut you open? Exposed you? Tormented you?" 

"Broken implies that I was whole to begin with." Will licked his lips. "I see you for what you are. That uneases you. No, I don't think you broke me. I think you changed me just as I have changed you. But I have changed you more. No one ever saw you. You never feared anything until meeting me. You were consumed by this desire to show me myself and in doing so you exposed yourself. We are both cut open. Vulnerable with each other. I didn't anticipate how much I would trust you. I don't trust anyone. Not even myself." 

"You fear your own dark side," Hannibal stated, voice thick from hearing Will's truth. 

"As you fear losing me. You never allowed yourself to care this much. You were hidden from the world, safely living your life. No one saw behind that suit that moulded your body. When they discovered who you were they called you insane. They saw only the monster. I never saw you as that though and maybe that was the problem. I saw the man standing behind the behind the monster covered in a person suit. You let me in in ways you never anticipated. You were obsessed with me because you wanted to know me. But also you knew I knew you. We are both our best and worst with each other. I don't know how I could have lived all those years without you. If you hadn't drawn me back..." 

"I had hoped we'd meet again. I knew that you would find me. We are in orbit with each other, a gravitational pull that neither can deny. I noticed it the first moment I met you and I recognised it the first time you came into my office and sat in my chair. There was this unease about you that I wanted to tame. I saw the darkness that lay beneath and I wanted to control it." 

Will swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. Heat rose up his neck tainting the tips of his ears. "I don't know if you can control it." 

"I already did. You allowed yourself to accept your true self and with it I helped you see what you were capable of. Some of us are born hunters. It is a natural human instinct. To deny our true nature is to reject the reality of our soul. I did all these things that you thought were to torment you in order for your walls to be broken down. For you to look in the mirror. I never made you do anything, Will. You chose your actions. What I did was make sure you had choices." 

"And my choice was to stay with you." Will sighed in what felt like a mixture of defeat and relief. 

It was no use to object now. This was what it was. He was here with him. Until the end. He was going to be by Hannibal's side until his last breath leaves his body.


	4. 4: Let Me Follow

I have never really known myself as well I as I have known myself with him - Will Graham, Season 3 of Hannibal 

Song suggestion: The Shrike - Hozier 

"I was highest by your warmth  
And I was transformed  
But your gounded and giving  
And darkening scorn  
Remember me, love when I'm reborn  
As the shrike to your sharp and glorious thorn"

*

Hannibal had another home in the deepest parts of the forest where there were wild bears and deer roaming free in the harsh wintery woodlands. The snow was getting thicker, soft snowflakes danced in the air like some fairytale story. Will watched from inside the cabin made of wood, safe and warm from the indoor heating and the crackling heat of the fire. The trees looked like frost bone fingers reaching out into the sky. 

The window seat was covered in quilts and hand crafted throw pillows. There was a rug by the fire possibly made from real wool. Leather couches were placed in a semi circle around the fire and a glass table was in the middle. The kitchen was as amazing as Hannibal's place when he had first met him. Black counterops and oak cupboards. Will loved the bedroom the best. It felt intimate when he first walked in. This was where Hannibal and himself would sleep...together. When he walked in he could smell the scent of the cannibal. It smelt of fine of wine with a woody, almost nutty note. Cedar. Cinnamon. Will inhaled the essence into his lungs. 

He could smell it now all through the house. It clung to his clothes. He heard Hannibal in the kitchen for a while until he came out in a grey cardigan and white shirt with two wine glasses. Will stood up and took it. He tasted the sweet wine and nodded in appreciation. 

"Dinner ready?" 

"Almost. The meat is just resting." 

"What did you make today?" 

"Herb crusted lamb with cumin, cinnamon and garlic. Pepper roasted potatoes with mediterranean vegetables." 

"Sounds amazing." 

There was an air of silence between them. It was like all their quiet moments -- it was comfortable, steeped with a tension that tightened itself into Will's chest. Whether it was sexual or romantic or both, he was tied to Hannibal with an unbreakable rope. He took another sip of wine and then walked forward to push up on his toes to kiss Hannibal's cheek. Hannibal gave him a soft smile. They ate at the table with Tchaikovsky in the background. Once their meal was finished, Will grabbed one of the quilts and stepped outside of the house. 

Cold air rushed through him. He enjoyed the smell of the wetness and ice, the pine needles and earth. He closed his eyes and for the first time in a long while he felt at peace. A hand touched his shoulder and he felt Hannibal's warm body press against his back. An arm wrapped around his waist and he placed a gentle kiss to his neck. 

He remembered witnessing Hannibal's art the first time. He had killed just for Will to see. It was hauntingly beautiful the way the morning sunshine reflected on the body of the girl mounted on the head of the stag. They called him The Shrike. Shrikes impaled its food on sharp branches. He thought sometimes through the course of their relationship that he had been impaled. Struck in the heart. 

Couldn't live with him yet couldn't live without him. 

He was stained by Hannibal. Now that he was here in this place, a home for just the two of them, he wondered how he ever had fought this. It was inevitable. There was the coldness creeping into his bones from the outside world, but Hannibal was the warmth and stability. Grounded. Surrendering. He was eroded into him, down to his bones past muscle and tissue and blood and skin.


	5. 5: Pull Me From The Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For #savehannibals4 
> 
> We NEED Hannibal Season 4. Now. Like right now. 
> 
> Inspired by Bryan Fuller's idea: "I think it would be fun to go sunny, and sweaty, and beachy. . ."

"I got so...close to him." 

Will sucked in a breath. His hands rested on the arm chair, white knuckles straining as he gripped the leather. He couldn't bear to look into Hannibal's eyes. He was talking about the killer he was trying to catch. The one that copied Garett Jacob Hobbs. The Shrike as he called him. An intelligent psychopath that had a sense of flair with his killings, artistry, and who Will dreamed about at night. He could feel it chilling him, a wetness running down his spine. It was like he could sense him. Know his thoughts. His actions even if he didn't know him in person. He was him in ways he didn't want to admit. 

"Somtimes..." Will gritted his teeth, forcing the truth out. "...I feel like we were doing the same things at different times of day. Like I was eating or showering or sleeping at the same time he was." 

Hannibal had this cool look on his face. There was something else there, just beyond the blue of his eyes that he couldn't decipher. 

"Even after he was dead," Hannibal stated. 

Will's mind faded at those words. Was he talking about Garett? Or was he talking about the one that killed the woman on the stag in Garett's cabin? They felt different. Something wasn't right. The copycat...He was connected to him. Will swallowed down this insanity. 

"Even after he was dead," he repeated. 

"Like you were becoming him." 

"I know who I am, Dr Lecter." 

Hannibal said nothing. But there was something underlying in his posture, like he knew a key factor that Will didn't. The doctor sat back in his seat and folded his hands in his lap, continuing their session. 

***

(10 years later) 

I know who I am. 

Will stared at the horizon, the technicolour glow of the sunset setting in over the crystal blue waters. The waves lapped gently against the boat and Will laid his head back against the pillow he was lying on. He looked up at the sky before closing his eyes. Footsteps came closer to him on the wooden deck. He could hear and feel the weight of a body sitting next to him. His nose picked up the smell of fresh fish with lemon and rice. Hannibal had cooked dinner. 

Will sat up and saw Hannibal had a plate of delicately cooked fish and fluffy rice. There were two forks and he immediately took the utensil and started tasting some of it. His mouth burst with the simple but delicious flavours. He swallowed almost all of the food down, avoiding the gaze of the cannibal who was staring at him. 

"Here. Eat. Sorry, I didn't realise how hungry I was," Will said hastily. 

"No. It is alright. You can have all of it. I made some extra. I can have that. You enjoy yourself." 

He greedily ate the rest on the plate as soon as Hannibal had told him he could. 

"Thank you. That was really good." 

It had been a few months that Hannibal and Will had left the cabin in the woods and set sail into open waters. It was summer and Will spent his days showing Hannibal how to hunt fish and Hannibal went about reading in a wooden chair while Will napped. Hannibal had changed from his expensive suits and classy tie pins for khaki shorts and button up causal shirts. Will found himself relaxing in colourful tees and denim cut-off shorts. They spent most days enjoying the wonderful smell of the ocean and enjoying each other's company. It was nearing the darkness of the evening and Will went down into the boat to the place where both of them slept. Hannibal came to follow him soon after. The bed was merely piles of blankets with stacks of pillows on a really small mattress. It was actually quite comfortable. Hannibal wouldn't admit it, but he loved being spooned by Will. 

Will sighed as he rested his head down on the twin pillows. His belly was full and his body was tired. He would rest well tonight. Hannibal slid in beside him and reached his arm behind the pillow to cradle his head. He gazed at Will whose breathing was becoming shallower. Hannibal leaned in and kissed his cheek. Will opened his one eye and had a small smile playing on his lips. 

"Yes, Dr Lecter?" 

Hannibal chuckled. "I suppose it has been too long without your kisses. Won't you indulge me?" 

"It's only been five hours!" 

"As I've said, too long." 

Will sighed dramatically and turned over to face Hannibal. He noted his dark eyes and his glistening lips that were wet from him licking it. Will felt a knot in the pit of his stomach and it grew into a sparking ignition of flames that spread through his whole body. His feelings for Hannibal was always stark and potent and unbelievably intense. He could barely breathe sometimes, yet he breathed easier than ever before with Hannibal by his side. It was a weird paradox. He used to have nightmares, fearing his true self, afraid of what he saw and had to endure. Now he slept peacefully wrapped in the Hannibal's strong arms. He leaned in and kissed his lips. It was soft. So incredibly soft. How can something so powerful and viper-like, something with an animalistic nature that was hidden inside be encased in something so beautiful and gentle? Hannibal was always gentle with him. Patient. He always let him make the first move, let him choose and made sure it was consensual before he did anything. He let Will love him and tear at him and fuck him to his pleasure. 

Will moaned into the kiss as Hannibal licked and sucked at his lips, biting and almost breaking skin. He threw his head back as an indication for Hannibal to gnaw at his throat. He bared for the animal to mark and claim. Once he had sufficiently bruised Will's neck to a blackened art piece, he moved to his collarbones and created them into a reddened mess that showed off his possession. Hannibal made sure that Will was his. He gripped at his naked thigh exposed below the pair of shorts he wore and sank his nails into it. Will cried out. Hannibal continued his work, kneading and pulling at his hair. Will was already rock hard in his underwear and leaking profusely from his cock-head. He shivered in his arms and threw his head back, eyes shut in ecstasy. 

"Do you want this, Will?" Hannibal breathed hotly into his ear, "Do you want to come?" 

Will gasped at the gravel tone of Hannibal's words. He was quaking, body soaked in sweat that made his white shirt cling to his frame. His breathing was laboured and he knew his body craved Hannibal's touch. His skin prickled with goosebumps in anticipation and the heavyweight between his legs made it clear what he wanted. He swallowed and shut his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. 

"No," Will spoke quietly. 

"No?" 

"I'd rather us lay here naked together. I want to touch you, yes, but without intent or sex. I want to touch your entire body with my lips and hands. I want to rake my nails down your sides, bite into your flesh. But we won't go further. I want you to feel me, let me take over you. Have you surrender to me." 

"You require physical and mental intimacy rather than sexual. You don't wish to bed me, but you desire me. You want me to submit to your touches and stare into your eyes as I feel you touching me all over." 

"Yes," Will gasped and shrugged off his shirt. 

Hannibal followed him by unbuttoning his shirt as well. Their shorts came soon after and underwear as well and soon they were both lying on top of the covers. Will came to straddle Hannibal and hissed as their erections rubbed together. He tried to soothe his breathing and focused on the man before him. He leaned over and kissed him, swiping his tongue over his bottom lip. He sucked at it tentatively and lusciously. He took his time kissing him until Hannibal was soft and plaintive in his grasp. His hands massaged his shoulders and down his forearms. Going back and forth between his movements of moulding his fingers into the skin and gentle caresses. Hannibal's arms was at his sides and his eyes were closed, his breathing laboured and body shaking slightly. Will kissed down his neck softly. He soothed down his chest and played with his chest hair. Hannibal grunted something under his breath. 

"What?" 

"Hmm. Tickles." 

"Are you sure? Not turning you on?" Will smirked. 

"You always turn me on, Will." Hannibal opened his eyes and saw his eyes glisten with lust and love, his pupils blown and wide. "Everything you do. I have desired you for a long time. I am never not in a state where I do not want you in some way or the other, whether sexual or not. You are extremely attractive to me in a romantic sense. An art work I never get tired of seeing or admiring. Every time I see you I am enamoured once again." 

Will let out a light laugh. 

"What was what?" Hannibal asked. 

"No, it's not what you said. I'm just reminded of what Bedelia said." 

"Enlighten me. Was it something to do with my affections for you?" 

"I will quote her directly because it was quite shocking the way she worded it but it couldn't be more true. You just confirmed it for me. I asked her if you're in love with me. She said: Could he daily feel a stab of hunger for you and find nourishment at the very sight of you? Yes." 

"And what did you say to that?" 

Will rubbed circles over Hannibal's chest, feeling his body ignite with heat. 

"She wasn't finished. The rest of her sentence was: But do you ache for him?" Will breathed in Hannibal's scent and hovered his lips close to his lover's ear. "I didn't answer her, but just so you know..." He licked over the shell of Hannibal's ear and watched his body react. "I ache for you...I ache for you with something so deep I feel like I'm ripping out parts of myself every time I kiss you. You take things from me and I give them to you. I willingly surrender. I have no choice now. You have completely unhinged me." 

Hannibal sucked in a harsh breath. "Will, you took over my senses. You have unhinged me as well." 

"Oh, I know," Will replied, quite cocksure. "Have I tamed you? Or have you tamed me?" 

"I think...perhaps..." Hannibal pressed Will closer to his body. "...maybe we have allowed ourselves to unlock certain parts of ourselves. We allowed ourselves to be open with each other, our true natures. I wanted you to see that since the beginning. We are parts of each other, Will. And I don't just say that lightly. You are what I need." 

Will rested his face close to his and gritted out, punching each word out slowly and deliberately, almost aggressively. "I need you, Hannibal." His voice was dark and Hannibal moaned softly. 

"Then you have me," he breathed, staring wide-eyed and completely thrown into Will's eyes, a picture-perfect clarity of his need and sincerity. "You can do what you want to me." 

Will hummed, "you think you can come without me touching you? Can my words tip you over? How much do I affect you, Dr Lecter?" 

Hannibal groaned. He could see the effects already, his body was gleaming with sweat. His chest blushing red and his cock thick and wet pressing against Will's thigh. "I don't need much. I'm already there," he gasped. 

"Come then." 

Will's words was simple, but Hannibal closed his eyes and revelled in the intimacy of his voice. The tone of it. The fact that it was Will. His Will. Hannibal's body convulsed, his back arching. He dug his nails into the flesh of Will's sides, breath stuttering with each thurst of his hips. Hannibal curled up into him as he exploded with an intense orgasm. He cried out, spluttering. Never in his life had he come from mere words. He felt the warmth and wetness between them and could barely believe it. His breath caught and he slumped back down on the bed, his hair sweaty and sticking to his forehead. He never felt so full and satisfied before Will. His body still trembled from the aftershocks and Will bent over to kiss him. Hannibal pressed into the kiss, happy and sated. He kissed him messy and thankful, Will's hands gripping his face, thumbs soothing over his cheekbones. They finally broke apart. Will fell to the side and rested his head on Hannibal's chest, flinging his one leg over him. 

"Sleep well," he sighed happily. 

Hannibal chuckled. "You just wanted me to be in your control. To wreck me." 

"Is that such a bad thing?" 

"I'd do the same to you. Goodnight, Will."


	6. 6: Devil Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inspired by the song Devil Side by Foxes and also this quote: 
> 
> It's like you're the only one that plays chess. The rest of the world doesn't even know what chess is. And then someone comes along with a chess board under their arm and your whole life has changed." 
> 
> \- Hugh Dancy, actor in NBC Hannibal at Nerdist House 2020 Hannibal Reunion

Months after their voyage, Hannibal they went back to their place in the woods. A stag head now hung above the fire place. They had killed that together, used its meat and fur. Life had grown fairly normal since leaving together. (Well, normal was a relative term, but for them this was their normal). Relaxed and free too be themselves. This was what Will had wanted all along. To love and be loved for who he was. Yes, he was still who he was and yes, Hannibal was still a cannibal. It didn’t change anything for them. It brought them closer. While Will was washing up the plates and Hannibal was wiping down the counters after their meal, Will realised how much Hannibal had opened him. Changed him. The profoundness was shocking even after all this time. 

“You exposed me. You made me vulnerable,” Will said quietly. 

"You feel vulnerable?" 

"It's more than that." Will shook his head. "I feel I was always vulnerable. Susceptible to everything around me, like when I looked at all those murders, I was sinking into them, floating in the madness. I was always open to it even if I tried to shut it out. It's actually getting harder and harder....to actually make myself care anymore. It's getting easier to kill with you. And it feels like the parts that were me is slowly chipping away." 

"Maybe that wasn't who you actually were. That was a shell to protect yourself from yourself. You couldn't rationalise your desire to see chaos and feel the blood on your hands, the part of you that knows what it's like and that feels powerful because of it. And now you are learning to accept it. Almost appreciate it. That might actually be the problem. You want to retreat back to the way you were?" 

Will breathed in a shaky breath and closed his eyes. It was better to say it without actually looking at Hannibal when he said it. "I am afraid of being me." 

"Still, you've made progress." 

“I’m not anymore.” Will relaxed his shoulders and felt like he could breathe for the first time. "That was the endgame all along. Reflecting back my darkness. Letting it mirror yours." 

"Yes," Hannibal said fervently. "Will. I've come to realise that it's like a game of chess. I played this game for so long. I moved pieces around, killed pieces off, manipulated every player I came into contact with. No one else knows this game. Until you came along. You are the only other person in this whole world that knows how to play chess. That is why I wanted you to see me. To know me. You understand." 

Will opened his eyes again. He stared at Hannibal with an open curiosity and bafflement. How was he able to read him? To quickly decipher that his madness matched his own? 

"I suppose this was always meant to happen. I thought of myself as on the Aspergers spectrum. Of having a severe empathic disorder. More antisocial and introverted with an active mind. A vivid mind. Turns out I was lying to myself. I may be more on the pathological side. True empathy can sometimes make shift a person into insanity." 

"I don't think you're insane," Hannibal spoke quietly but firmly. "You are aware of your actions. You know who you are now. I may be labelled as a psychopath by society because they don't know what else to call me. I appreciate the beauty of humanity in many ways and I punish those who do evil. I send those souls to hell. That has always been who I am. But I never thought I'd meet someone, someone who is so human, but who can know the nature of my ways and accept it into his own. You were made for me." 

"You're the devil," Will gasped, although he knew already. Saying it out loud only forced him to believe it more. He had seen it in moments. A demon wearing a suit, a human suit to fain our likeness and walk amongst us. "I'm in love with the devil." 

"And the devil is in love with you."


End file.
